Concrete form



April 16, 1957 Filed Aug. 50, 1954 F. J. DE BOISBLANC CONCRETE FORM 2SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR.

F152 /X de 5 O/SBL 4N6 ATI'DPIVEYS April 16, 1957 F. J. DE BOISBLANCCONCRETE FORM Filed Aug. 50, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fitz -4- INVENTOR.

f' v FZ/X dc 50/554 ANc bwwd gw A 770/?IVE Y5 United States Patent '0"cc CONCRETE FORM Felix Joseph de Boisblanc, New Orleans, La.Application August 30, 1954, Serial No. 453,103

7 Claims. (Cl. 25-131) This invention is concerned with constructionequipment. It is illustrated here by equipment adapted for wallconstruction but it is not limited to such construction. e

The object of the invention is to simplify and speed up constructionusing concrete and other material requiring pouring and setting,providing a demountable form that is simple, light, easily set in placeand removed, and rigidly held in place.

The invention attains this object by providing a form consisting ofinterchangeable panels with fiat face portions and flanged ends that canbe easily joined together endto-end on each side of the desired form,and that are held in proper spaced relation by a special clamping means.A form for wall construction can be made of these panels by setting uptwo upright panels, or two horizontal rows of upright panels, parallelto each other. Concrete or the like is poured in the space between thetwo panels. Such a form can be set up to permit pouring the materialonto any kind of base such as the ground, a floor, or a previouslypoured layer of material. Each panel has at its top a portion at anangle to its face. When the panels are set I up parallel to each other,a funnel-like formation results, making pouring easier and faster.

The invention also provides a clamp, readily applied and removed, forholding the parallel panels in position relative to eachother when theirlower portions are suitably spaced and braced, preferably from theinside as when the panels are set above and slightly overlying apreviously set course of concrete. The clamp has two sets of jaws, eachof which grips one of two oppositely facing panels at the top andprevent it from moving either toward or away from the other. The clampis applied at the top.

. The preferred form is shown in the accompanying drawings to illustratethe invention. In these drawings:

Figure l is an elevation showing part of the construction form;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a corner construction with the tops of twopanels partly broken away;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the clamp.

In this illustration a number of construction panels 11 are set up endto end in two parallel rows, partially enclosing a space directly abovea base A, shown here as including a spacer portion A-1 extending betweenthe bottom parts of the panels. The base, for example, can be apreviously laid course of a concrete wall. Each panel 11 has a faceportion 12. Each face portion 12 has at each of its vertically extendingends a flange 13 extending substantially from top to bottom. At the topof each panel is an L-shaped member 15, the horizontal web of which iswelded to the top edge of the panel so as to project outwardly, itsvertical web then being parallel to but spaced out from the panel. Theends of this L member overlie the top edges of the flanges 13. When thepanel is set in place, the vertical web of the L is remote from the op-2,788,560 Patented Apr. 16, 1957 posite row of construction panels 11.The construction panels 11 in each row are held in position relative toeach other by C-clamps 16 which clamp together the abutting flanges 13.r

At intervals along the top of each row of panels is a clamp 21 whichengages the vertical web of the L- shaped members 15 of opposite panels11. The clamp 21 (see Figs. 4 and 5) comprises (1) a member 22 with arecess 23 at one end, forming a pair of jaws, and a series of holes 24extending through it from side to side at the other; and (2) a co-actingmember 25 lying alongside the member 22, having a like recess 26 at itsend remote from the recess 23, and having also a series of holes 27similar to the holes 24 in line with the holes 24. Each recess in effectforms a pair of jaws, the clamping action of which is described below.Projected through one of the holes 24 and its adjacent hole 27 is a pin28 which serves as;a pivot for the two clamp members 22 and 25, thusmaking them a scissors-like hinged pair. The pin 28 is threaded at bothends to receive retaining nuts which hold the members 22 and 25 againsteach other but permit them to be swung or canted relative to each otherabout the pin 28. At the end of the member 25 opposite the recess 26 isa lug 30 extending over the member 22 and carrying a threaded operatingrod 32 with a turning head 33. When the head 33 is turned, the rod 32presses against the top of member 22 and causes the member 22 and themember 25 to rotate relative to each other :in opposite directions aboutthe pin 28. This rotation is continued until the side edges or jaws ofeach recess 26 grip its associated L-shaped member 15 tightly, therebypreventing the top of each opposite panel 11 from moving toward or awayfrom the other. The threaded operating rod 32 then serves as a holdingmeans. Each recess is only slightly wider than the web of its associatedL-shaped member, and the recess is so located that when the clamp memberis in a generally horizontal position the side edges of the recess aregenerally parallel to the sides of the vertical web 15, and readilyreceive the web between them. However, when the clamp member is cantedby the action of the operating rod 32, both side edges or jaws of therecess assume an oblique position in which they are jammed against theweb. Wider recesses should be avoided to prevent the web from clearingone edge of the recess.

To vary the length of the clamp the pin 28 may be placed in any of theholes 24 in the member 22 and any of the holes 27 in the member 25.

It will be noted, from Fig. 5, that the jaw at the left hand side ofrecess 26 grips the vertical web at the top of the panel (preferablyprovided by the L-shaped member 15,) by pressing against it at a higherpoint on the inner side than does the other jaw which grips the web onthe outer side. The jaws formed by recess 23 in the co-acting clampmember 22 grip the vertical web of the other panel in the same manner.This gripping action creates a turning moment tending to cause thebottom of each panel 11 to press toward the other. It can be increaseduntil the bottom of each panel presses laterally against the sides ofthe base layer A, helping to hold the panels in place and also insuringthat the surface of the molded material will be smooth.

During the pouring operation the L-shaped members 15 at the panel topsact as a funnel, enabling the material to be poured easily and quickly.When it has hardened sufficiently the clamp 21 may be released simply byturning the handle 33 in reverse. The clamp 21 may then be removed andthe row of panels 11 withdrawn in any convenient direction, either allpanels at once, or, upon removing the C-clamps 16, one at a time.

If desired, when the base layer A includes a spacer portion A-l asshown, or when a separate spacer is used, this gripping action can beincreased until the bottom of each panel exerts a substantial pressureagainst the spacer, holding the panels more securely and better insuringa smooth surface for the molded material. In many situations, a spaceris not needed and the panels are held well enough by the friction oftheir bottom edges on the ground or on any other generally flat surfaceencountered as the base on which the form is mounted.

When a corner construction is desired, certain panels 11 are modified sothat the face portion 12 is bent to form an offset projection 41 with anedge portion 42 extending as a lip at a right angle, to turn the corner.Two such modified panels are placed at right angles to each other, withthe lip 42 of one projection 41 over-lapping the other projection 41 asshown in Fig. 1. These panels enclose a space into which concrete may bepoured to form a strengthening rib at the corner. No additional clampingmeans are necessary, or separate corner parts requiring additional stepsof assembly and disassembly.

I claim:

1. A construction form for concrete or the like comprising a pair ofoppositely facing metal panels adapted to be mounted in spaced relationon a base, an upwardly extending web portion at the upper rim of eachpanel, and a means for holding said panels in spaced relation withoutinterposed bracing which comprises a pair of arms hinged together, eacharm having a recess to receive one of said upward webs, and means forcanting said arms and holding them whereby the sides of each recess gripthe web and the panels are held in spaced relation to each other.

2. A construction form for concrete or the like comprising a pair ofoppositely facing metal panels adapted to be mounted in spaced relationon a base, a web portion extending outwardly and upwardly from the upperrim of each panel, and a means for holding said panels in spacedrelation without interposed bracing which comprises a air of arms hingedtogether, each arm having a recess to receive one of said web portions,and a member extending between the arms to swing them and hold themwhereby the sides of each recess grip the web and the panels are held inspaced relation to each othr.

3. A construction form for concrete or the like comprising a pair ofoppositely facing metal panels adapted to be mounted in spaced relationon a base, each of said panel's comprising a face portion, a secondportion substantially at right angles to the face portion, and a thirdportion substantially parallel to but offset from the face portionextending from the free end of the second portion, and in combinationwith said panels a clamp comprising two hinged arms, each having arecess to receive one of said third portions, and a threaded rodextending through a cooperatively threaded hole in one of the arms andpressing against the other arm to swing said arms and hold them wherebythe sides of each recess grip the web and the panels are held in spacedrelation to each other.

4. 'For use with a pair of oppositely facing panels in a constructionform for molding concrete or the like, a clamp comprising a pair of armseach of which has a pair of fixed jaws at its outer end adapted toreceive a web portion of a panel, a pivot for said arms so located inrelation to said jaws that upon swinging of the arms thereabout eachpair of jaws assumes an oblique position relative to the panel webwhereby to grip it, and means for holding said arms in such grippingposition.

5. For use with a pair of oppositely facing panels in a constructionform for molding concrete or the like, a clamp comprising a pair of armseach of which has a pair of fixed jaws at its outer end adapted toreceive a web portion of a panel, a pivot for said arms located betweenthe pairs of fixed jaws so that upon swinging of the arms thereabouteach pair of jaws assumes an oblique position relative to the panel webwhereby to grip it, and a member extending between the arms to hold themin such gripping position.

6. For use with a pair of oppositely facing panels in a constructionform for molding concrete or the like, a clamp comprising a pair of armseach of which has a pair of fixed jaws at its outer end adapted toreceive a web portion of a panel, a pivot for said arms located betweenthe pairs of fixed jaws so that upon swinging of the arms thereabouteach pair of jaws assumes an oblique position relative to the panel webwhereby to grip it, and a threaded rod extending through a cooperativelythreaded hole in one of the arms and pressing against the other memberwhereby the. arms are held in such gripping position.

7. In a construction form for concrete and the like, the combination ofa first panel, a first projection joined to one of its verticallyextending ends at an angle along a line from top to bottom and formingan off-set extension of said panel, said projection having a portionsubstantially parallel to the first panel and a lip at right angles toand extending away from the first panel, a second panel at an angle tothe first panel, and a second projection similar to the first projectionjoined to the second panel, with each projection having its lip abuttingthe other projection to enclose a corner space into which concrete maybe poured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS657,802 Watson Sept. 11, 1900 828,031 Kemper Aug. 7, 1906 874,151 ZeiserDec. 17, 1907 967,836 Rodham Aug. 16, 1910 1,245,538 Van Guilder Nov. 6,1917 2,334,804 Atterbury Nov. 23, 1943 2,387,445 Herring Oct. 23, 1945

